61.   The consortium is Global One, a subsidiary owned jointly by France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and the US company Sprint.

62.   The consortium is one of three in contention for the order and has offered the lowest bid.

63.   The EU continues to maintain that the Airbus consortium is the victim of Japanese government discrimination, Japan Airlines having no Airbuses at all.

64.   The dealer said the Standard Chartered-led consortium is favoured to win the bidding, although rumours have emerged tipping a possible upset by Farallon.